Signature-gathering machine.



A. BREDENBERG. SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28| |911. 1,177,600. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI l.

Olmhlcooca:

A. BREDENBERG. SIGNATUREGATHERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APLZ, 19H. I 1,177,600. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 3 A. BREDENBERG. SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILZB. I9II.

UNITED sTaTEs Ty oEEicE.

ALFRED BREDENBERG, F CHAMILAIN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE SHERIDAN IRON WORKS, A CORPORATION OF YORK, AND ONE-HALF TO T. W. p & G. B. SHERIDAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

SIGNATURE-GATHERING MACHINE.

Application filed April 28, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED BREDENBERG,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident .of Champlain, Clinton county, New York,

have invented certain new and useful 11nprovementsv in Signature- Gathering Machines, of which the following is a specication.

The present invention relates to gathering machines such as are used for assembling the component parts of books or like objects, and more particularly to that class of gathering machines used in the manufacture of together preparatory to subsequent binding4 or other operations.

The invention has for an object generally to improve, condense, simplify and thereby cheapen gathering machines of the class referred to, and render them easier to maintain vand operate; and other and more specific objects will appear hereinafter in the following description, or will be obvious therefrom.

The invention consists inthe novel` arrangements and inter-relations of the -various instrumentalities, and in the novel combinations, constructions, mechanisms and parts hereinafter shown or described.

The accompanying drawings referred to in the following description and forming a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, the same serving in connection with the description to explain vthe principles of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a gathering machine constituting one form of embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof taken on the plane 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and et constitute enlarged elevations of certain details from the saine viewpoint as Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a partial plan view showing generally the arrangement of the shafts X, X, X2 and their interconnections. Fig. 6 is a general plan view of the gathering machine shown in theother figures.

These improvements as illustrated in said Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4., i916.

Serial No. 623,872.

drawings comprise aV novel arrangement and inter-relation of the various instrumentalities composing such a machine, and a revision and reconstruction thereof to permit such re-arranging and carry out the objects of the invention.

According to one feature of the present invention is contemplated a particular arrangement of the consecutive series of boxes or containers which contain the supplies of signatures or the like, whereby they are located -to overlap one another, for example by being set in two or more overlapping rows; and a construction of the extracting and gathering instrumentalities on novel principles to accord with such arrangement of the signature boxes.

The above and other features of the invention will be more particularly set forth in the following description. l

It will be understood that while a painphlet, magazine or other book isusually assembled or made up from a plurality of ordinary signatures, each constituted for example of eight leaves which have been printed on one sheet of paper and folded into a signature, nevertheless, the book might be made up of a group of single sheets or leaves; consequently the word signature 7 grouped together to make the complete book.

In some cases there may be as many as twenty or more of these boxes or containers. There is in the drawings hereof, however, shown for convenience a smaller number of boxes or containers A', A2, A3, etc. These containers may take any convenient form or design so long as they suiiice to contain or hold the stacks of signatures and permit one at a time thereof to be removed in the gathering process. Each container may have bottom and side walls as shown, while being open at the top and rear to permit the containers to be refilled as often as necessary with new supplies of signatures. What may pying very nately in two or more,

sobe

sit1ons,. by which is to v latlng signatures be termed the forward end of each container is provided with a walb or member a against which `all of the signatures are to be uniformly adjusted.

According to the present invention, in distinction to arranging the series of containers in a single extended row, thus occularge space and requiring an unwieldy and costly machine, they are arranged in what may be designated overlapping pobe -understood any arrangement in which there is a successive overlapping -of the containers with consequent economy of space, etc. Overlapping in accordance vherewith may be overlapping in various senses. For example as illustrated, each alternate container may overlap the preceding and succeeding ones, or different arrangements may be made. As shown the first container overlaps the second, the second is overlapped by the first and third, the third overlaps the second and fourth, and so on throughout the series. The illustrated arrangement may be more specifically expressed lby stating that the consecutive containers are arranged alterin this instance two, rows, levels or tiers, and it is preferred that the containers in the respective rows shall staggered or overlapped in the manner shown. v4 A In the cross-sectional view of Fig. 2 onev of the lower row of containers A is seen and one of the upper row A2, each of which is of such construction and location as to eoperate with means for extracting signatures and transferring them to the place where the signatures are gathered and the books assembled. ach containers bottom is cut away infront for egress of a signature. To facilitate coperationfbetween the containers and the specific extracting means Vhereinafter to be described, the upper row of containers A2 may be both set forwardly and inclined forwardly as shown, whereas the lower row A maylie'iat.

The piles of signatures are designated by Y and the foremost signature or the one which is about to be transferred, by y, while Z designates the groups of. accumuor the books in the process of assemblage.

To facilitate the extracting operationl pneumatic or other devices a may be employed in association with each of the containers for the purpose of outwardly defl'ecting the forward edge of the signature y, thereby enabling Aitbetter to be gripped and removed. The device a is shown as pivoted and it may be connected with an exhausting means or otherwise caused 'to adhere to the face of the foremost signature for deflecting it. The device will be swung about its pivot through 'any convenient operating means. As shown the devices a for -is shown on shaft X containersl are each connected by a rod a2 with one of a number of arms cl2 fixed on a rock shaft a8, lone of the arms cl2 being provided with a roller ci6 which bears on a cam a, being held in constant contact therewith by a spring an extended between a fixed` part of the machine and an arm alo fixed on the shaft as. The devices a for the upper row of containers are each connected by rods a2 and arms all3 to a rock shaft a which in turn is connected by an arm alf and rod a4 with an arm ai.9 (see Figs. l and 5), whichhas a stud or roller bearing on a cam a7 similar to the the lower row of cam a5 but oppositely disposed so that the` he camsa-and a7 are mounted on a shaft X2 and indirectly driven from a main shaft X which may be driven from any suitable source of power. for convenience as follows: A spur gear and said gear isin engagement with a second gear which is mounted upon a shaft X', said last mentio-ned shafthaving another gear X11 thereon which engages in its turn gear :v2 mounted upon the shaft X2 first mentioned. The bearings for the several shafts may be as shown and need not be particularly described, some of them being contained in the frame partition o r wall g. The shaft X may be considered as a single mechanical part or member taking the form of a' shaft which has connections to the several instrumentalities comprised in the present machine for operating all of them in harmony with each other, as hereinafter to be described.

The cams a5 and a'I on the shaft X2 are so designed and timed that each pneumatic device a will displace the edge of the signature y just prior to the gripping of such signature by the corresponding extractor, as explained below.

Before describing the extractors C, C2, etc., and their mode of actuation, reference will be made to the' device which receives the extracted signatures and carries them until a complete set of signatures has been gathered into a group. Such carrier is a well known instrumentality and need not be described in detail further than as follows: The carrier B.may general/ly be stationary, preferably comprising an inclined plate b having a base flange b and a continuous slot through which project a seriesof traveling' membersor pins b2, vthese being spaced apart a proper distance to receive the assembling books between them and serving to push the assembling books along the carrier while signature after signature is being added to each of the assembling books until at the complete group of sol The connections may be s end of the carrierthe i signatures is delivered 'l lso therefrom to a delivery support B or directly or indirectly to lany convenient receptacle or mechanism, such for example as a clamp for holding the signatures during the subsequent operations of binding, etc. The pins b2 may be Isecured to a sprocket chain b3 carried on two or more sprocket wheels b4, one of which is shown, the latter carried by a shaft whereon is a second sprocket wheel b5 engaged by a chain with a third sprocket wheel bc carried on a horizontal shaft suitably mounted in fixed bearings and having at its end a bevel gear wheel b engaging a similar gear wheel bs mounted on the shaft X.

The extractors C', C2, etc., are all substantially alike in their detail construction, but they are differently arranged and are operated at different points of time, although all are shown as having support in an overhanging frame part Gr. The preferred arrangement of the extractors is that certain of them, C', C3, etc., pertaining to the lower row of containers, shall be mounted on one shaft or actuating mechanism, while others of them C2, C4, etc., shall be mounted on another shaft. It is also preferred that the first mentioned extractors -shall be actu-ated in rotation, that is to say,

in this instance, in alternation, with the last mentioned ones. This is of great importance in connection with the described novel arrangement of containers. The details of the extractors will now be described, and mechanism whereby the extractor series C', C3, etc., are caused to extract signatures and transfer them to the carrier at a time when the series C2, C, etc., are not doing this, and whereby such operation of the first mentioned extractors is succeeded by a similar extracting operation of others of them.

One of the extractors, C', is seen in enlarged view in Figs. 3 and 4, and as shown comprises a pair of grippers c, c adapted to be opened and closed and to grip and release the signature y at the proper times. The upper gripper c may for convenience be secured to a longitudinal member in the form of a tube c2. Sliding within the tube c2 is a rod 03 and this passes downwardly through the gripper o' to where it is attached to the gripper c', the rod o3 constituting the means of moving the lower gripper relatively to the other for opening and closing the grippers. A shaft c4 is common to, and has hung from it,`all of the extractors C2, C4, etc., whilea similar shaft c5 is common to the extractors C', C3, etc., and each of the shafts has a series of sleeves or collars c6, on each of whichis an extension c" whose cylindrical interior receives the longitudinal tube 02, the two being rigidly secured together. Support is thus afforded to the ex` tractor C2 by its being hung in the manner 05 are shown as geared to each other through a gear wheel d on shaft c4, and gear wheel d on shaft c5, the two gears directly engaging so that whenever one shaft and the extractors thereon are swung in one direction, the other shaft with its extractors is swung reversely. The extractors C', C3, etc., will l therefore be swinging downwardly while the extractors C2, C4, etc., are swinging upwardly to obtain new signatures from the containers. v

To cause the actuation of the extractors, an armd2 may be secured on shaft 05 and connected to a rod d3 which extends from the arm to a crank pin d4 formed on the gear v wheel m2 already referred to, carried on the shaft X2. By this described means the revolution of the crank pin acting through rod d3 and arm d2 effects the reverse oscillations of the shafts c, c5 carrying the extractors, the throw of the crank pin being sufficient to carry the extractors from one extreme position to the other, such extreme positions being as seen in Fig. 2. As will hereinafter appear each extractor while in upward position will be operated to grip a signature, and while in its lower position will be operated to release and eject the signature.

For opening and closing the grippers c, c', the following is a convenient mechanism: A collar 08 on the movable rod 03 of the gripper c is pressed upward by spring 09 tending to close the grippers, while the upper end of the rod c3 is designed to be depressed for opening the grippers. For this purpose special cams E', E2 are employed, the former for the extractors C", C3, etc., and the latter for. the extractors C2, etc. 'Each of these cams E is pivotally mounted between extensions e of the casting c7, and comprises besides the cam portion a toe extension e projecting through a slot formed at e2 in one side of the casting c?. The toe e bears directly upon the top of the rod c3. The cam E. is swung about its pivot by a roller e mounted on an arm e4, while the cam E2 is similarly operated by a roller e5 on an arm es, the two arms e4, e, shown as being mounted through sleeves or collars upon an'oscillating shaft e7. Any rocking of such shaft will be transmitted to both the rollers e3, e5 so as to simultaneously actuate both of the cams E', E2, but `each cani will be operatedin a manner opposite to the other so that the several grippers of the extractors C', (33,'

etc., will be opened while the grippers of the other extractors will be closed, and vice versa. To oscillate the shaft e7 to carry out these purposes, said shaft is provided with an arm e? extendin therefrom and pivotally connected to-a rod e2.,.which extends from the arm e2 to the roller el guided in its up and down movements by an arm e loosely mounted on the same shaft -X that carries I gear m', said shaft for convenience passing through wall g for-this purpose.

Said roller el engages in a cam groove 612 formed in the side face of a cam we mounted on the same shaft X2 that carries the'gear :v2 previously referred to. The cam groove 612 is of a contour having opposite eccentric for actuating the rod e9 and thereby opening or closing the grippers of the respective extractors, and two opposite concentric portions permitting the grippers to remain substantially open or closed during the swinging movements of the extractors.

he above substantially completes the description of the mechanism with the exception of an ejecting device F that is preferably employed, one of which may be mounted on each extractor, and each of which may cons1st in an arm f extending from a pivot.

f downwardly to a position adjacent the ippers c, c', said arm being designed to be thrown forwardly at the proper time to eject a signature from the grippers so as to insure the proper deposit of the signature upon the carrier B. .To operate such an ejector it may have a second arm f2 having a pin or roller f3 coperating with a fixed cam f4 so located that said cam forces the pin downwardly just as the extractor reaches its lowermost position so as to sharply throw the arm 7 of the ejector to strike the signature held between the grippers; A spring f5 may be employed tending to return the ejector to inactive position.

The preferred operation of the above described parts will be as follows, assuming the carrier to be in operation and the several signature containers to be supplied with signatures. The extractors of the first series will approach the lower .tier of containers, and the gripper jaws of each extractor will pass one on each side of the foremost or lowest Signature, the latter having been bent or curved slightly downward by the pneumatic device a. At this stage the cam c13 will Operate to cause the gripper jaws to close upon the signature, which is thus firmly gripped. i Fig. 2 shows extractor C in this position. In the meantime the crank pin d4, which has brought the first series of extractors to upper position and momentarily held them there,

passes by the center and commences towithdraw or lower the extractors,'each gripping a signature, the extractors finally arriving at lower or delivering position as seen at C2, Fig. 2A; in the meantime all of the second series of extractors for the other tier of containers having been movingupwardly for the purpose of in their turn portions V .the pins b2 of 'for binding.

- Frasco securing signatures from their containers to be transferred to the carrier. 0n reaching lowest position each the signature by reason of an eccentric portion of the cam cl2 coming into plav to open the grippers, and thereupon the ejector operates through the contact of its pin f3 with the cam f4. After the signature is thus delivered to the carrier the extractors C', C3, C5 return upwardly, while the other extractors in their turn carry signatures downwardly to the carrier. During all of this operation the carrier B will be operated, or rather the pins b2 thereof will be actuated, at a certain speed .of movement or in other manner to accord with the other operations. The pins do not travel the entire width of a container for each extractor operation, but on the contrary move only a fraction of such width, in this case substantially a half thereof. To put it more accurately the carrier vpins travel, during the time between the operations of two succeeding extractors, a, distance equal to the horizontal ,distance between the centers of two consecutive containers, which may be termed the container spacing and is preferably uniform throughout the entire series A', A2, A3, etc. Forward of each of the pins b2 ya book is being assembled and as the pin moves along it receives at the front of it, first, a signature from box A. Thereafter on moving the short distance or container spacing, from the box A to the box A2, a signature from box A2 is deposited forward of the pin b2 and directly on top of the preceding@ signature. A further sliding movement of the pin b2 carries it in position below the 'third box A3 and thereupon is received a signature therefrom, this operation continuing throughout the machine, or throughout as many boxes as there are signatures to be comprised in a book, until the latter is completely assembled. It is not important that the carriershould travel continuously but their average speed yis important, so thateach A consecutively opposite the respective boxes as the extractors are removing signatures therefrom and delivering them to the carrier; andthe sprocket andbevel gear wheels referred to will be so proportioned as to secure the Needless to say there are a continuous series of pins b2 in front of each of which the signatures to be formed into a book are assembled so that the machine continuously.

books ready delivers completely assembled It .was above `stated that the successive complete groups vof signatures upon delivery from the gathering devices may be transferred directly or indirectly to a clamp for holding the signatures during the subsequent operations of binding. Traveling extractor releases correct speed to attain this end.

pin will-be brought clamps of this nature, is should be stated are shown in the bookbinding machine of my prior Patent No. 1,073,324, dated September 16, 1913, wherein the trimming and gluing or other binding operations are performed on each book as the clamp in which it is held progresses from mechanism to mechanism; whilethe above mentioned scheme of providing mechanism for transferring the progressing complete signature groups, after they successively issue from the gathering machine hereof into such binding machine clamps, is shown and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,051,074, dated January 21, 1913.

It will be seen that by reason of the construction above shown and described, a gathering machine is provided which answers the objects and affords the advantages of the invention as hereinbefore set forth; and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the precise construction shown nor to any particular construction by which the invention has been or may be carried into effect, since many changes may be made in the details.

of the parts without departing from the main principles of the invention .and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

1. A signature gatherer including in combination a plurality of signature'containers arranged in two equally spaced -sets in staggered relation, two sets of extractors therefor, means for reciprocating the extractors alternately in sets so that the extractors of one set operate while those of the other set are inoperative, a support onto which the extracted signatures are placed by the extractors, and means for feeding the signatures along the support an amount equalto half the distance between the centers of adjacent containers in one set in a period equal to the time from one extracting operation to the next.

2. A signature gatherer including in combination a plurality ofisignature containers from which signatures are to be taken in succession to be grouped and bound into a book, said containers arranged so that each 'container is lapped by the succeeding one and so that the spacing betweensuccessive container centers is less than the length of a container, movable extractors for extracting si atures from said containers, mechanism or actuating the extractors so that in each extracting operation signatures are extracted from a fraction only of the containers, in the next operation from a similar fraction and so on, and means for feeding forwardly a processionof the gathering signature-groups' by an amount Substantially `mechanism for actuating `the extractors so that in each extracting operation signatures are extracted from oneset only of the lcontainers, in thenext operation from another set and so on, and means for feeding .forwardly a procession of gathering signaturegroups by an amount substantially. equal'to the between-center spacing of consecutive containers in the period from one extracting operation to the next. f

4. A signature gatherer including in combination a plurality of signature containers from which signatures vare to be taken in succession to be grouped andbound into a book, said containers arranged in a plurality of sets in staggered relation, so that successive containers are spaced between centers a distance less than the length of a single container, movable extractors fo-r extracting signatures from said containers, there being a set of extractors for each set of containers, mechanism for actuating successively the sets o-f extractors, and means for feeding forwardly a procession of gathering signature-groups by an amount substantially equal to the between-center spacing of consecutive containers in the period from one extracting operation to the next.

5. A signature gatherer including in combination a plurality of signature containers from which signatures are to be taken in succession to be grouped and bound into a book, said containers arranged in a plurality of sets in staggered relation, so that successive containers are spaced between centers a distance less than the length of a single container, movable extractors for extracting signatures from said containers, there being a set of extracto-rs for each set of containers, mechanism for actuating successively the sets of extractors, and means for feeding forwardly ya procession of gathering signature-groups by an amount substantially equal to the between-center spacing of consecutive containers in the period from one. extracting operation to the next; said extractors having movable jaws, and mecha. nism for automatically opening and closing vsaid jaws in harmony with the extractor movements.

.l arranged in two equally spaced tiers in staggered relation, two sets of swinging extractors therefor, means for actuating the extractors alternately in sets so that the eX- tractors of one set operate while those of the' from which signatures are to be taken in succession to bek grouped and bound into a book, said containers arranged in a plurality of horizontal tiers in staggered relation, softhat successive containers are spaced between atraco@ centers a distance less than the length of a single container, a set of movable extractors for each tier of containers, mechanism for actuating successively the sets of extractora and feeding means for horizontally advanclng a continuous procession of gathering s1gnature-groups, said feeding means adapted to advance each signature-group by an amount substantially equal to the betweencenter spacing of consecutive containers in the period from one extracting operation to the next, whereby as the signature-'group travels by the container series, it is supplied With signatures from the consecutive containers and attains its full complement of signatures at the end of its horizontal travel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my l name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED BREDEN BERG.

Witnesses l J W. AVERITT, Jn,"

WM. J. DoLAN. 

